The following is a schedule of the

2008 Democratic National Convention The 2008 Democratic National Convention was a quadrennial United States presidential nominating convention, presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party where it adopted its national platform an ...

that was held from August 25 to August 27 at

Pepsi Center Ball Arena (formerly known as the Pepsi Center) is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Denver, Colorado, United States. It is situated at Speer Boulevard, a main thoroughfare in downtown Denver, and is served by two nearby exits off Int ...

and on August 28 at

INVESCO Field at Mile High Empower Field at Mile High is an American football stadium in Denver, Colorado. Its primary tenant is the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). It opened in 2001 to replace the Broncos' original home, the old Mile High Stadium. T ...

Denver, Colorado Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

Sunday, August 24

Interfaith gathering

A ''Democratic National Convention Interfaith Gathering'' was held at "2:00 pm MT, at the Wells Fargo Theater, inside the

Colorado Convention Center The Colorado Convention Center (CCC) is a multi-purpose convention center located in Downtown Denver, Colorado. At 2,200,000 square feet (total space) it is currently the 12th largest convention center in the United States. Opening in 1990, the ...

." It was the first time the DNC has hosted such an event and was "the first official event for the 2008 Convention ..The event asfree and open to the public, but tickets

ere Ere or ERE may refer to: * ''Environmental and Resource Economics'', a peer-reviewed academic journal * ERE Informatique, one of the first French video game companies * Ere language, an Austronesian language * Ebi Ere (born 1981), American-Nigeria ...

required." The event was led by: *

Rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...

Tsvi Weinreb, executive vice president of the

Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America The Orthodox Union (abbreviated OU) is one of the largest Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jewish organizations in the United States. Founded in 1898, the OU supports a network of synagogues, National Conference of Synagogue Youth, youth programs, Jew ...

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

Charles E. Blake, presiding prelate of the

Church of God in Christ The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) is an international Christian perfection#Holiness Pentecostalism, Holiness–Pentecostal Christian denomination, and a large Pentecostal denomination in the United States. Although an international and multi ...

Ingrid Mattson Ingrid Mattson (born August 24, 1963) is a Canadian activist and scholar. A professor of Islamic studies, she is currently the London and Windsor Community Chair in Islamic Studies at Huron University College at the University of Western Ontario ...

, president of the

Islamic Society of North America The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) is a non-profit Muslim religious organization based in the United States and serving North America. It provides a number of programs and services to North America's Muslim communities and broader societ ...

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...

Helen Prejean Helen Prejean ( ; born April 21, 1939) is a Catholic religious sister and a leading American advocate for the abolition of the death penalty. She is known for her best-selling book '' Dead Man Walking'' (1993) based on her experiences with two ...

, who was featured in the award-winning movie '' Dead Man Walking'' Additional clergy included: *Rabbi Marc Schneier, founding director of the ''Jewish-Muslim Foundation for Ethnic Understanding'' *Rabbi Amy Schwartzman, a Reform rabbi from Virginia. Local clergy included: *

Imam Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...

Abdur-Rahim Ali of the Northeast Denver Islamic Center *Rabbi Steven Foster from Congregation Emmanuel *Human rights leader

Reverend The Reverend (abbreviated as The Revd, The Rev'd or The Rev) is an honorific style (form of address), style given to certain (primarily Western Christian, Western) Christian clergy and Christian minister, ministers. There are sometimes differen ...

Lucia Guzman *Kathryn Ida of the

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

Association at University of Colorado. The

Secular Coalition for America The Secular Coalition for America is an advocacy group located in Washington D.C. It describes itself as "protecting the equal rights of nonreligious Americans." The Secular Coalition has chapters in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, composed of lo ...

has argued that while the event was "designed to showcase the 'diversity' and 'shared values' of the party and achieve a 'spirit of unity,' it would, in fact, marginalize those Democrats who do not practice religion." The Coalition wrote to chief executive officer of the Democratic National Convention Committee, the Rev. Leah Daughtry, stating that it "expressed the Coalition's willingness to discuss ways to make the convention more inclusive."

Monday, August 25

The theme for the day was "One Nation", with

Michelle Obama Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama ( Robinson; born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as the first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017, being married to Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United Stat ...

as the "headline prime-time speaker." She was introduced by her brother, Craig Robinson. '' The Work to Come: A Tribute to Senator Edward Kennedy'', directed and produced by Mark Herzog and Chris Cowen in association with

Ken Burns Kenneth Lauren Burns (born July 29, 1953) is an American filmmaker known for his documentary films and television series, many of which chronicle American history and culture. His work is often produced in association with WETA-TV or the Nati ...

, was introduced by Kennedy's niece,

Caroline Kennedy Caroline Bouvier Kennedy (born November 27, 1957) is an American author, diplomat, and attorney who served as the List of ambassadors of the United States to Australia, United States ambassador to Australia from 2022 to 2024. She previously serv ...

. Senator Kennedy was not expected to attend the convention due to his illness, but nevertheless made a surprise appearance and speech in the evening. A video about former President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

's humanitarian work was also shown, followed by a brief appearance by the president and former president himself, accompanied by former First Lady

Rosalynn Carter Eleanor Rosalynn Carter ( ; ; August 18, 1927 – November 19, 2023) was an American activist and humanitarian who served as the first lady of the United States from 1977 to 1981, as the wife of President Jimmy Carter. Throughout her decades of ...

. The Platform was adopted by voice vote with no real debate. The speakers were scheduled to include:

Principal speakers

* Caroline Bouvier Kennedy, author, attorney, and former First Daughter * Edward M. Kennedy, United States Senator from Massachusetts *

, attorney, public servant, and executive; wife of Barack Obama *

Nancy Pelosi Nancy Patricia Pelosi ( ; ; born March 26, 1940) is an American politician who was the List of Speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 52nd speaker of the United States House of Representatives, serving from 2007 to 2011 an ...

Speaker of the United States House of Representatives The speaker of the United States House of Representatives, commonly known as the speaker of the House or House speaker, is the Speaker (politics), presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the United ...

, congresswoman, Convention Chair

Featured speakers

Joe Baca Joseph Natalio Baca Sr. (born January 23, 1947) is an American Democratic politician who served as the U.S. representative for southwestern San Bernardino County (including Fontana, Rialto, Ontario and parts of the city of San Bernardino) from 1 ...

, United States Representative from California * Tom Balanoff, representative of the Illinois Service Employees International Union *

Sherrod Brown Sherrod Campbell Brown ( ; born November 9, 1952) is an American politician who served from 2007 to 2025 as a United States senator from Ohio. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the U.S. representative for from 1993 to 2007 and the 47t ...

, United States Senator from Ohio *

Howard Dean Howard Brush Dean III (born November 17, 1948) is an American physician, author, consultant, and retired politician who served as the 79th governor of Vermont from 1991 to 2003 and chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) from 2005 to 20 ...

, chair of the Democratic National Committee *

Miguel del Valle Miguel del Valle (born July 24, 1951) is an Americans, American politician who has served in various roles in municipal and state government in Chicago. He was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1987, becoming the first Hispanic member of the body, ...

, Chicago City Clerk * Manny Diaz, Mayor of Miami *

Jesse Jackson, Jr. Jesse Louis Jackson Jr. (born March 11, 1965) is an American former politician and convicted felon. He served as the U.S. representative from from 1995 until his resignation in 2012. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the son of activist a ...

, United States Representative from Illinois *

Alexi Giannoulias Alexander Giannoulias ( ; born March 16, 1976) is an American financier and politician who is the Secretary of State of Illinois. He previously served as the 72nd Illinois Treasurer from 2007 to 2011. A Democrat, Giannoulias defeated Republica ...

, Illinois State Treasurer *

Tom Harkin Thomas Richard Harkin (born November 19, 1939) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Iowa from 1985 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Pa ...

, United States Senator from Iowa *

John Hickenlooper John Wright Hickenlooper Jr. ( ; born February 7, 1952) is an American politician, geologist, and businessman serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senate, United States senator from Colorado since 2021. A mem ...

, Mayor of Denver * Dan Hynes, State Comptroller of Illinois * Emil Jones, Jr., State Senator from Illinois *

Nancy Keenan Nancy Keenan (born February 14, 1952) is an American politician, and was from 2015 until 2019 the executive director of the Montana Democratic Party. Prior to that, she was elected to several terms in the Montana House of Representatives (1983� ...

, President of NARAL Pro-Choice America *Jerry Kellman, mentor and friend of Barack Obama *

Amy Klobuchar Amy Jean Klobuchar ( ; born May 25, 1960) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Minnesota, a seat she has held since 2007. A member o ...

, United States Senator from Minnesota *

Jim Leach James Albert Smith Leach (October 15, 1942 – December 11, 2024) was an American academic and politician. He served as ninth Chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities from 2009 to 2013 and was a member of the U.S. House of Representat ...

, Republican former United States Representative from Iowa *

Lisa Madigan Lisa Murray Madigan (born July 30, 1966) is an American lawyer and politician. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she served as Illinois Attorney General, Attorney General of the U.S. state of Illinois from 2003 t ...

, Attorney General of Illinois *

Patricia Madrid Patricia A. Madrid (born 1947) is an American politician and the former Attorney General for the U.S. state of New Mexico. She is a member of the Democratic Party. She also sits on the bipartisan advisory board of States United Democracy Center. ...

, Attorney General of New Mexico *

Doris Matsui Doris Okada Matsui ( ; born Doris Kazue Okada; , September 25, 1944) is an American politician, who has served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from since 2005. She succeeded her husband, Bob Matsui. The district, numb ...

, United States Representative from California and Convention Parliamentarian *

Claire McCaskill Claire Conner McCaskill (; born July 24, 1953) is an American former politician who served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Missouri from 2007 to 2019 and as State Auditor of Missouri, state auditor of Missouri from 1999 to ...

, United States Senator from Missouri *

Judith McHale Judith A. McHale (born 1947) is a former under secretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs. Appointed by President Obama, she was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 21, 2009, and sworn in on May 26. She resigned effective July 1, ...

, business executive and co-chair of the Convention Platform Committee *

Grace Napolitano Graciela "Grace" Napolitano ( ; née Flores; born December 4, 1936) is an American Democratic Party politician who represented California's San Gabriel Valley and other parts of Los Angeles County in the United States House of Representatives ...

, United States Representative from California *Margie Perez, musician *

Silvestre Reyes Silvestre "Silver" Reyes (born November 10, 1944) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for , serving from 1997 to 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he was Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligen ...

, United States Representative from Texas *Candi Schmieder, delegate chair of the Iowa County Convention *

Kathleen Sebelius Kathleen Sebelius (; née Gilligan, born May 15, 1948) is an American politician who served as the 21st United States secretary of health and human services from 2009 until 2014. As Secretary of Health and Human Services, Sebelius was instrumenta ...

, Governor of Kansas *

Maya Soetoro-Ng Maya Kasandra Soetoro-Ng (; ; born August 15, 1970) is an Indonesian-born American academic, who is a faculty specialist at the Spark M. Matsunaga Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, based in the College of Social Sciences at the Univer ...

, half-sister of Barack Obama *

Andrew Tobias Andrew Tobias (born April 20, 1947) is an American writer. He has written extensively about investment, as well as politics, insurance, and other topics. He is also known for writing ''The Best Little Boy in the World'', a 1973 memoir – origin ...

, Democratic Party Treasurer * Reg Weaver, President of the National Education Association *

Randi Weingarten Rhonda "Randi" Weingarten (born December 18, 1957)''Who's Who in America'', 2007. is an American labor leader, attorney, and educator. She has been president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) since 2008, and is a member of the AFL-CIO ...

, President of the American Federation of Teachers

Tuesday, August 26

The theme for the day was "Renewing America's Promise." Senator

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

was the headline prime-time speaker and former Virginia Governor

Mark Warner Mark Robert Warner (born December 15, 1954) is an American businessman and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Virginia, a seat he has held since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, Warner served as the 69th gove ...

delivered the keynote address on Tuesday night.

Principal speakers

, United States Senator from New York, former

congressional A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ad ...

and Carter administration lawyer, and former First Lady of the United States; runner-up for the 2008 Democratic nomination *

, keynote speaker, former Virginia governor and candidate for United States Senate

Featured speakers

The speakers included: *

Tammy Baldwin Tammy Suzanne Green Baldwin (born February 11, 1962) is an American politician and lawyer serving since 2013 as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States senator from Wisconsin. A member of the Democratic Party (United Stat ...

, United States Representative from Wisconsin *

Xavier Becerra Xavier Becerra (; born January 26, 1958) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 25th United States secretary of health and human services, a position he held from March 19, 2021 to January 20, 2025. He is the first Latino to h ...

, United States Representative from California *

Barbara Boxer Barbara Sue Boxer (née Levy; born November 11, 1940) is a retired American politician, lobbyist, and former reporter who served in the United States Senate, representing California from 1993 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United St ...

, United States Senator from California * Anna Burger, chair of the Change to Win Federation *

Maria Cantwell Maria Ellen Cantwell (; born October 13, 1958) is an American politician who has been the junior United States senator from Washington since 2001. A member of the Democratic Party, she served in the Washington House of Representatives from 19 ...

, United States Senator from Washington * Bob Casey, Jr., United States Senator from Pennsylvania * John Chiang, State Controller of California *

John Conyers John James Conyers Jr. (May 16, 1929October 27, 2019) was an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as a U.S. representative from Michigan from 1965 to 2017. Conyers was the sixth-longest serving member of Congress and the lo ...

, United States Representative from Michigan *

Chet Culver Chester John Culver (born January 25, 1966) is an American politician who served from 2007 through 2011 as the 41st governor of Iowa. A member of the Democratic Party, he had previously served as the 29th Secretary of State of Iowa from 1999 t ...

, Governor of Iowa *

Jim Doyle James Edward Doyle Jr. (born November 23, 1945) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 44th governor of Wisconsin from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he narrowly defeated incumbent Republican governor Scott M ...

, Governor of Wisconsin *

Rahm Emanuel Rahm Israel Emanuel (; born November 29, 1959) is an American politician, advisor, diplomat, and former investment banker who most recently served as List of ambassadors of the United States to Japan, United States ambassador to Japan from 2022 ...

, United States House of Representatives Democratic Caucus Chair *David Gipp, President of United Tribes Technical College, Bismarck,

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

Jennifer Granholm Jennifer Mulhern Granholm (born February 5, 1959) is an American politician who was the 16th United States secretary of energy from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she previously served as the 47t ...

, Governor of Michigan *

Mike Honda Michael Makoto Honda (, born June 27, 1941) is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in Congress from 2001 to 2017. Initially involved in education in California, he first became active in politics in 1971, when t ...

, United States Representative from California *

Eleanor Holmes Norton Eleanor Holmes Norton (born June 13, 1937) is an American politician, lawyer, and human rights activist. Norton is a congressional delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives, where she has represented the District of Columbia since 1991 as ...

, United States Delegate from the District of Columbia *

Steny Hoyer Steny Hamilton Hoyer ( ; born June 14, 1939) is an American politician and retired attorney who has served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for since 1981. He also served as House Majority Leader from 2007 to 20 ...

, United States Representative from Maryland, House Majority Leader *

Carolyn Kilpatrick Carolyn Jean Cheeks Kilpatrick (born June 25, 1945) is a former American politician who was United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative for and then from 1997 to 2011. She is a member of the Democratic Party (United States), Dem ...

, United States Representative from Michigan *

, United States Senator from Minnesota *

Dennis Kucinich Dennis John Kucinich ( ; October 8, 1946) is an American politician. Originally a Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, Kucinich served as U.S. Representative from Ohio's Ohio's 10th congressional district, 10th congressional district fro ...

, United States Representative from Ohio *

Mary Landrieu Mary Loretta Landrieu ( ; born November 23, 1955) is an American entrepreneur and politician who served as a United States senator from Louisiana from 1997 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, Landrieu served as the Louisiana State Treasu ...

, United States Senator from Louisiana *

Patrick Leahy Patrick Joseph Leahy ( ; born March 31, 1940) is an American politician and attorney who represented Vermont in the United States Senate from 1975 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he also was the pr ...

, United States Senator from Vermont *

Lilly Ledbetter Lilly Lynn McDaniel Ledbetter (April 14, 1938 – October 12, 2024) was an American activist who was the plaintiff in the United States Supreme Court case '' Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.'' regarding employment discrimination. Two yea ...

, pay equity pioneer *

Blanche Lincoln Blanche Lambert Lincoln (born Blanche Meyers Lambert; September 30, 1960) is an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Arkansas from 1999 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, she was first elected to the Senate in 1 ...

, United States Senator from Arkansas *

Joe Manchin Joseph Manchin III ( ; born August 24, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician who served as a United States senator from West Virginia from 2010 to 2025. He was West Virginia's only congressional Democrat until he registered as ...

, Governor of West Virginia and chair of the Democratic Governors’ Association *

, United States Senator from Missouri *

Barbara Mikulski Barbara Ann Mikulski ( ; born July 20, 1936) is an American politician and social worker who served as a United States senator from Maryland from 1987 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she also served i ...

, United States Senator from Maryland *Nancy Floyd, founder of Nth Power *

Janet Napolitano Janet Ann Napolitano (; born November 29, 1957) is an American politician, lawyer, and academic administrator. She served as president of the University of California from 2013 to 2020, on the faculty at the Goldman School of Public Policy at t ...

, Governor of Arizona *

Deval Patrick Deval Laurdine Patrick (born July 31, 1956) is an American politician who served as the 71st governor of Massachusetts from 2007 to 2015. He was the first African Americans, African-American Governor of Massachusetts and the first Democratic Pa ...

, Governor of Massachusetts *

Charles Rangel Charles Bernard Rangel ( ; June 11, 1930 – May 26, 2025) was an American politician who served as United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for districts in New York City for 46 years. A member of the Democratic Party (Unite ...

, United States Representative from New York *

Ed Rendell Edward Gene Rendell (; born January 5, 1944) is an American politician, author, and former prosecutor who served as the 45th governor of Pennsylvania from 2003 to 2011. He previously served as chair of the national Democratic Party from 1999 to 2 ...

, Governor of Pennsylvania *

Cecile Richards Cecile Richards (July 15, 1957 – January 20, 2025) was an American activist who served as the president of both the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its affiliated Planned Parenthood Action Fund from 2006 to 2018. In 2010, Richard ...

, President of Planned Parenthood of America *

David Paterson David Alexander Paterson (born May 20, 1954) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 55th governor of New York, succeeding Eliot Spitzer, who resigned, and serving out nearly three years of Spitzer's term from March 2008 to ...

, Governor of New York *

Federico Peña Federico Fabian Peña (born March 15, 1947) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 12th United States secretary of transportation from 1993 to 1997 and the 8th United States secretary of energy from 1997 to 1998, during the pres ...

, former

United States Secretary of Energy The United States secretary of energy is the head of the United States Department of Energy, a member of the Cabinet of the United States and fifteenth in the United States presidential line of succession, presidential line of succession. The po ...

and

United States Secretary of Transportation The United States secretary of transportation is the head of the United States Department of Transportation. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to transportation. The secre ...

Linda Sánchez Linda Teresa Sánchez (born January 28, 1969) is an American politician and former labor lawyer serving as the U.S. representative for since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, she was first elected to Congress in 2002 in . Sánchez serve ...

, United States Representative from California *

Brian Schweitzer Brian David Schweitzer (born September 4, 1955) is an American farmer and politician who served as the 23rd Governor of Montana from 2005 to 2013. Schweitzer served for a time as chair of the Western Governors Association as well as the Democr ...

, Governor of Montana *

, Governor of Kansas *

Ted Sorensen Theodore Chaikin Sorensen (May 8, 1928 – October 31, 2010) was an American lawyer, writer, and presidential adviser. He was a speechwriter for President John F. Kennedy, as well as one of his closest advisers. President Kennedy once called hi ...

, author and advisor to President John F. Kennedy *

Debbie Stabenow Deborah Ann Stabenow ( ; née Greer; born April 29, 1950) is an American politician who served from 2001 to 2025 as a United States senator from Michigan. A member of the Democratic Party, she was Michigan's first female U.S. senator. Before he ...

, United States Senator from Michigan *

Ted Strickland Theodore Strickland (born August 4, 1941) is an American politician who served as the 68th governor of Ohio from 2007 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the United States House of Representatives, representing ( ...

, Governor of Ohio * John Sweeney, President of the AFL-CIO *

Bennie Thompson Bennie Gordon Thompson (born January 28, 1948) is an American politician and educator serving as the U.S. representative for since 1993. A member of the Democratic Party, Thompson served as the chair of the Committee on Homeland Security fro ...

, United States Representative from Mississippi *

Chris Van Hollen Christopher Van Hollen Jr. ( ; born January 10, 1959) is an American attorney and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Maryland, a seat he has held since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the U.S. re ...

, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee *

Nydia Velázquez Nydia Margarita Velázquez Serrano ( , ; born March 28, 1953) is an American politician serving in the United States House of Representatives since 1993. A Democrat from New York, Velázquez chaired the Congressional Hispanic Caucus until Janua ...

, United States Representative from New York *

Jim Whitaker Norris J. "Jim" Whitaker (born September 30, 1950) is an American politician of the Republican Party who served as mayor of Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, from 2003 to 2009. Prior to his mayoral term, Whitaker served in the Alaska Ho ...

, Republican mayor of Fairbanks, Alaska

Wednesday, August 27

The theme for the day was "Securing America's Future" and featured a speech by

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

, the

vice presidential candidate A vice is a practice, behaviour, Habit (psychology), habit or item generally considered morally wrong in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trait, a defect, an infirmity, or a bad or unhe ...

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

veterans Representative Patrick Murphy (D-PA) and Illinois Veterans' Affairs Department Director

Tammy Duckworth Ladda Tammy Duckworth (born March 12, 1968) is an American politician and retired Army National Guard Lieutenant colonel (United States), lieutenant colonel serving since 2017 as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States ...

offered a tribute to war veterans. Obama and Biden were both formally chosen to be the Democratic nominees for President and Vice President by acclamation, put forward by former rival Senator

. Barack Obama himself made a surprise appearance after Biden's acceptance speech and praised the performances of his colleagues and his wife Michelle. Obama also reminded delegates to attend his acceptance speech the following day. Sister Catherine Pinkerton delivered the benediction for the night.

Principal speakers

, United States Senator from Delaware and 2008 Democratic nominee for Vice President of the United States *

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

, 42nd President of the United States

Featured speakers

The speakers included: *

Madeleine Albright Madeleine Jana Korbel Albright (born Marie Jana Körbelová, later Korbelová; May 15, 1937 – March 23, 2022) was an American diplomat and political science, political scientist who served as the 64th United States Secretary of State, United S ...

, former United States Secretary of State *

Tom Allen Thomas Allen may refer to: Clergy * Thomas Allen (nonconformist) (1608–1673), Anglican/nonconformist priest in England and New England *Thomas Allen (dean of Chester) (died 1732) *Thomas Allen (scholar) (1681–1755), Anglican priest in England ...

, candidate for United States Senate from Maine *

Evan Bayh Birch Evans "Evan" Bayh III ( ; born December 26, 1955) is an American politician who served as the List of governors of Indiana, 46th governor of Indiana from 1989 to 1997 and as a United States Senate, United States senator representing Indi ...

, United States Senator from Indiana *

Beau Biden Joseph Robinette "Beau" Biden III (February 3, 1969 – May 30, 2015) was an American politician, lawyer, and officer in the Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Army, Army Judge Advocate General's Corps from Wilmington, Delaware, Wilmingt ...

, Attorney General of Delaware and son of Joe Biden *

Lois Capps Lois Ragnhild Capps (née Grimsrud; January 10, 1938) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1998 to 2017. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district, numbered as the 22nd District from 1998 to 200 ...

, United States Representative from California *

Kathy Castor Katherine Anne Castor ( ; born August 20, 1966) is an American politician and lawyer currently representing in the United States House of Representatives, serving since 2007. The district, numbered as the 11th district from 2007 to 2013, is b ...

, United States Representative from Florida *

James E. Clyburn James Enos Clyburn (born July 21, 1940) is an American politician serving as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for . First elected in 1992 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina#District 6 ...

, United States House of Representatives Majority Whip *

Elijah Cummings Elijah Eugene Cummings (January 18, 1951October 17, 2019) was an American politician and civil rights advocate who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1996 until his death in 2019, when he was succeeded by his predecess ...

, United States Representative from Maryland *

Richard M. Daley Richard Michael Daley (born April 24, 1942) is an American politician who served as the 54th mayor of Chicago, Illinois, from 1989 to 2011. Daley was elected mayor in 1989 and was reelected five times until declining to run for a seventh ter ...

, Mayor of Chicago *

Tom Daschle Thomas Andrew Daschle ( ; born December 9, 1947) is an American politician and lobbyist who represented South Dakota in the United States Senate from 1987 to 2005. A member of the Democratic Party, he led the Senate Democratic Caucus during the ...

, former United States Senator from South Dakota *

Artur Davis Artur Genestre Davis (; born October 9, 1967) is an American attorney and former politician who served as a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives for from 2003 to 2011. He was also a ca ...

, United States Representative from Alabama *

Rosa DeLauro Rosa Luisa DeLauro ( ; born March 2, 1943) is an American politician who is in her 18th term as the U.S. representative for , having served since 1991. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is based in New Haven and includes mos ...

, United States Representative from Connecticut * Manny Diaz, mayor of Miami *

, Iraq War veteran and Director of Illinois Veterans' Affairs *

Chet Edwards Thomas Chester Edwards (born November 24, 1951) is an American politician who was a United States House of Representatives, United States Representative from Texas, representing a district based in Waco, Texas, Waco, from 1991 to 2011. Previously, ...

, United States Representative from Texas *

John Hutson John Dudley Hutson (born 1947) is a former United States Navy officer, attorney, and former Judge Advocate General of the Navy. He is a former dean and president of University of New Hampshire School of Law in Concord, New Hampshire, having serv ...

, Republican, retired rear admiral of the United States Navy and president of the Franklin Pierce Law Center *Michele S. Jones, first female command sergeant major of the United States Army *

Claudia J. Kennedy Claudia Jean Kennedy (born July 14, 1947) is a retired lieutenant general in the United States Army. She is the first woman to reach the rank of three-star general in the United States Army. She retired in 2000 after 31 years of military servic ...

, first female three-star general in the United States Army *

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...

, United States Senator from Massachusetts and 2004 Democratic presidential nominee *

Nita Lowey Nita Sue Lowey ( ; Melnikoff; July 5, 1937 – March 15, 2025) was an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from New York from 1989 until 2021. She was a member of the Democratic Party. Lowey also served as co-dean of the ...

, United States Representative from New York *

Jeff Merkley Jeffrey Alan Merkley (born October 24, 1956) is an American politician who is the junior United States senator from Oregon. He was first elected to the Senate in 2008. A member of the Democratic Party, he served from 1999 to 2009 as the repres ...

, candidate for United States Senate from Oregon * Patrick Murphy, United States Representative from Pennsylvania and first Iraq War veteran elected to Congress *

, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives * Jack Reed, United States Senator from Rhode Island *

Harry Reid Harry Mason Reid Jr. (; December 2, 1939 – December 28, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Nevada from 1987 to 2017. He led the Senate Democratic Caucus from 2005 to 2 ...

, United States Senate Majority Leader *

Jay Rockefeller John Davison "Jay" Rockefeller IV (born June 18, 1937) is an American retired politician who served as a United States senator from West Virginia (1985–2015). He was first elected to the Senate in 1984, while in office as governor of West Vir ...

, United States Senator from West Virginia *Xiomara Rodriguez, Nevada delegate and retired member of the United States Coast Guard *

Ken Salazar Kenneth Lee Salazar (born March 2, 1955) is an American lawyer, politician, and diplomat who served as United States ambassador to Mexico from 2021 to 2025. He previously served as the 50th United States Secretary of the Interior in the administ ...

, United States Senator from Colorado *

Joe Sestak Joseph Ambrose Sestak Jr. (born December 12, 1951) is an American politician and retired U.S. Navy officer. He represented in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011 and was the Democratic nominee for the United States Senate in 2 ...

, United States Representative from Pennsylvania *

Chuck Schumer Charles Ellis Schumer ( ; born November 23, 1950) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from New York (state), New York, a seat he has held since 1999. ...

, United States Senator from New York *

Jeanne Shaheen Cynthia Jeanne Shaheen ( ; née Bowers, born January 28, 1947) is an American politician and former educator serving since 2009 as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from New Hampshire. A ...

, former governor of New Hampshire and candidate for United States Senate *

Louise Slaughter Dorothy Louise Slaughter (née McIntosh, August 14, 1929 – March 16, 2018) was an American politician elected to 16 terms as a United States representative from New York, serving from 1987 until her death in 2018. Slaughter was born in Lynch, ...

, United States Representative from New York *

Hilda Solis Hilda Lucia Solis (; born October 20, 1957) is an American politician and a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for the 1st district. Solis previously served as the 25th United States Secretary of Labor from 2009 to 2013, as pa ...

, United States Representative from California *

Tom Udall Thomas Stewart Udall ( ; born May 18, 1948) is an American diplomat, attorney, and politician who had served as the United States Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States senator for N ...

, United States Representative from New Mexico and candidate for United States Senate *

Debbie Wasserman Schultz Deborah Wasserman Schultz ( Wasserman; ; born September 27, 1966) is an American politician serving as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for , first elected to Congress in United States House of Representatives elec ...

, United States Representative from Florida *

Maxine Waters Maxine Moore Waters (née Carr; born August 15, 1938) is an American politician serving as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for since 1991. The district, numbered as the California's 29th congressional district, ...

, United States Representative from California *

Robert Wexler Robert Ira Wexler (born January 2, 1961) is an American politician and lawyer from Florida. He is the president of the Washington-based S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace. Wexler was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Represe ...

, United States Representative from Florida

Results of delegate voting

Along with presumptive presidential nominee Barack Obama, former opponent Hillary Clinton's name was also placed in nomination for president. The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' noted that this has occurred before:

Jerry Brown Edmund Gerald Brown Jr. (born April 7, 1938) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as the 34th and 39th governor of California from 1975 to 1983 and 2011 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic P ...

's name was entered into the roll call after losing to

in 1992;

Jesse Jackson Jesse Louis Jackson (Birth name#Maiden and married names, né Burns; born October 8, 1941) is an American Civil rights movements, civil rights activist, Politics of the United States, politician, and ordained Baptist minister. Beginning as a ...

and

Gary Hart Gary Warren Hart (''né'' Hartpence; born November 28, 1936) is an American politician, diplomat, and lawyer. He was the front-runner for the 1984 and 1988 Democratic presidential nominations, until in 1988, he dropped out amid revelations of ex ...

also had their names added after losing to

Walter F. Mondale Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale (January 5, 1928April 19, 2021) was the 42nd vice president of the United States serving from 1977 to 1981 under President Jimmy Carter. He previously served as a U.S. senator from Minnesota from 1964 to 1976. H ...

in 1984. In 1980, Senator

Ted Kennedy Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts who served as a member of the United States Senate from 1962 to his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic Party and ...

's name was entered into the roll call after losing to

. In addition, Clinton became only the fourth woman to have her name placed in nomination for president at a major party convention. U.S. Sen.

Margaret Chase Smith Margaret Madeline Chase Smith (née Chase; December 14, 1897 – May 29, 1995) was an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, she served as a U.S. representative (1940–1949) and a U.S. senator (1949–1973) from Maine. She was th ...

of Maine was placed in nomination at the 1964 Republican convention, and U.S. Rep.

Shirley Chisholm Shirley Anita Chisholm ( ; ; November 30, 1924 – January 1, 2005) was an American politician who, in 1968, became the first black woman to be elected to the United States Congress. Chisholm represented New York's 12th congressional dist ...

of New York was placed in nomination at the 1972 Democratic convention. In 1976, anti-abortionist

Ellen McCormack Ellen Cullen McCormack (September 15, 1926 – March 27, 2011) was an American politician who was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1976. Early life On September 15, 1926, Eleanor Rose Cullen was born in The Bronx ...

had her name placed in nomination along with

Mo Udall Morris King Udall (June 15, 1922 – December 12, 1998) was an American attorney and Democratic politician who served as a U.S. representative from Arizona from May 2, 1961, to May 4, 1991. He was a leading contender for the 1976 Democratic pr ...

and

President

Obama was formally selected as the Democratic nominee through

acclamation An acclamation is a form of election that does not use a ballot. It derives from the ancient Roman word ''acclamatio'', a kind of ritual greeting and expression of approval towards imperial officials in certain social contexts. Voting Voice vot ...

, put forward by formal rival Senator

of New York, offering her own delegates to Obama and motioning to suspend the rules of the roll call.

Vice president

was nominated by acclamation on a voice vote.

Thursday, August 28

The theme for the day was "Change You Can Believe In." Barack Obama accepted the nomination in a speech at

on the 45th anniversary of

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...

's "

I Have a Dream "I Have a Dream" is a Public speaking, public speech that was delivered by American civil rights activist and Baptist minister Martin Luther King Jr. during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963. In the speech, Kin ...

" speech. Rabbi David Saperstein gave an invocation prior to Obama's speech. Progressive pastor

Joel Hunter Joel Carl Hunter (born April 18, 1948, in Shelby, Ohio) is a pastor and author. He is the author of ''A New Kind of Conservative'' (Regal 2008), ''Church Distributed'' (Distributed Press 2008) and ''Inner State 80: Your Journey on the High Way'' ( ...

offered the benediction after Obama's speech. Speaker Pelosi adjourned the convention after the benediction.

Principal speakers

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American former politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. He previously served as ...

, 45th Vice President of the United States *

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

, United States Senator from Illinois

Featured speakers

, chair of the Democratic National Committee *

Diana DeGette Diana Louise DeGette ( ; born July 29, 1957) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 1997. A member of the Democratic Party, her district is based in Denver. DeGette was a Chief Deputy Whip from 2005 ...

, United States Representative from Colorado *

Dick Durbin Richard Joseph Durbin (born November 21, 1944) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from the state of Illinois, a seat he has held since 1997. A member of the Dem ...

, United States Senator from Illinois *

Susan Eisenhower Susan Elaine Eisenhower (born December 31, 1951) is an American consultant, author, and expert on international security, space policy, energy, and relations between the Russian Federation and the United States of America. She is the daughter o ...

, granddaughter of President Dwight D. Eisenhower * J. Scott Gration, retired Major General of the United States Air Force *

Luis Gutierrez Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archaic ...

, United States Representative from Illinois *

Tim Kaine Timothy Michael Kaine ( ; born February 26, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States senator from Virginia since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party (United States ...

, Governor of Virginia *

Bernice King Bernice Albertine King (born March 28, 1963) is an American lawyer, minister, and the youngest child of civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. She was five years old when her father was assassinated. In her adolescen ...

, daughter of Martin Luther King, Jr. *

Martin Luther King III Martin Luther King III (born October 23, 1957) is an American human rights activist, philanthropist, and an advocate. The second child and eldest son of civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, he served as the fourth ...

, eldest son of Martin Luther King, Jr. *

John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American civil rights activist and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...

, United States Representative from Georgia *

Ed Perlmutter Edwin George Perlmutter (born May 1, 1953) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2007 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, his district was located in the northern and western suburbs of the De ...

, United States Representative from Colorado *

David Plouffe David Plouffe (; born May 27, 1967) is an American political and business strategist best known as the campaign manager for Barack Obama's successful 2008 presidential campaign. He was the senior advisor to Kamala Harris' 2024 presidential cam ...

, Obama campaign manager *

Bill Richardson William Blaine Richardson III (November 15, 1947 – September 1, 2023) was an American politician, author, and diplomat who served as the List of governors of New Mexico, 30th governor of New Mexico from 2003 to 2011. He was U.S. ambassador to ...

, Governor of New Mexico *

Bill Ritter August William Ritter Jr. (born September 6, 1956) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 41st Governor of Colorado from 2007 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the district attorney for Denver before his ele ...

, Governor of Colorado *Ray Rivera, Obama state director of Colorado *

John Salazar John Tony Salazar (born July 21, 1953) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2005 until 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was appointed Commissioner of the Colorado Department of Agriculture in the ...

, United States Representative from Colorado *

Jan Schakowsky Janice Schakowsky ( ; née Danoff; born May 26, 1944) is an American politician who has served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative from since 1999, and she previously served as a member of the Illinois House of Re ...

, United States Representative from Illinois *

Mark Udall Mark Emery Udall ( ; born July 18, 1950) is an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Colorado from 2009 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the United States House of Representatives, repres ...

, United States Representative from Colorado and candidate for United States Senate

Live performances

Jennifer Hudson Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981), also known by her nickname J.Hud, is an American singer, actress, producer, and talk show host. Having received List of awards and nominations received by Jennifer Hudson, numerous accolades for ...

will.i.am William James Adams Jr. (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "will I am"), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. He is the frontman of the musical group Black Eyed Peas, which he ...

, accompanied by

John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He began his musical career working behind the scenes for other artists, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Every ...

(piano), Agape Choir, and band *

Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. She is noted for her Optimism, optimistic and Idealism, idealistic subject matter, and incorporation of genres including Rock music, rock, Po ...

A Change Would Do You Good "A Change Would Do You Good" (also known as "A Change") is the fourth single from American singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow's 1996 self-titled album. The song uses a series of non sequitur lyrics to describe what one should change in life. It became ...

'' / ''Out Of Our Heads'' / ''

Everyday Is A Winding Road "Everyday Is a Winding Road" is the second single from American singer and songwriter Sheryl Crow's 1996 eponymous album. Neil Finn, lead singer of Crowded House, provides backing vocals. Paul Hester, another member of Crowded House, was the ins ...

'' Interlude ''

I Can See Clearly Now "I Can See Clearly Now" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Johnny Nash. It was the lead single from his twelfth album, ''I Can See Clearly Now'' (1972), and achieved success in the United States and the United Kingdo ...

'' *

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

* Michael McDonald *

Yonder Mountain String Band Yonder Mountain String Band is an American progressive bluegrass group from Nederland, Colorado. Composed of Dave Johnston, Ben Kaufmann, Adam Aijala, Nick Piccininni, and Coleman Smith, the band has released eleven studio albums and six live re ...

Other

Shawn Johnson Shawn Johnson East (born Shawn Machel Johnson; January 19, 1992) is an American former artistic gymnast. She is the Gymnastics at the 2008 Summer Olympics, 2008 Olympic Gymnastics at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Women's balance beam, balance be ...

, Olympic gymnast, recited the

Pledge of Allegiance The U.S Pledge of Allegiance is a patriotic recited verse that promises allegiance to the flag of the United States and the republic of the United States. The first version was written in 1885 by Captain George Thatcher Balch, a Union Army o ...

Notes

External links

Official Convention Website

Denver 2008 Host Committee (official)

Democratic Convention Bloggers Group Blog

Denver DNC information and forums
* Democratic National Convention news coverage
Rocky Mountain NewsDenver Post
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schedule For The 2008 Democratic National Convention